If there's one thing I love to do whenever I'm stuck at home, it's DIY hair treatments! Believe it your not, the secret to restoring damaged hair can many times just be in your refrigerator. From a flaky, itching scalp to dry, dull strands, there's plenty of items in your kitchen you can use to give your hair the TLC it needs to look it's best! Check out a few of these simple recipes below to help you get or a sexy, healthy looking melena in no time!
Fight flakes: The first step to a head full of bouncy, gorgeous strands is a healthy scalp. I grew up seeing Dominican women using ginger to treat literally EVERYTHING, including dandruff and dry scalp. The antiseptic properties found in ginger help to improve the health of your scalp. Simply peel a root of ginger and then pulp and squeeze out the juice. Then mix the ginger juice with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil. Massage the mixture well and apply to the scalp, leaving it on for about 15 to 30 minutes, before rinsing out. Try doing this at least two times a week, until flakes are gone.
Quicker Fix: Try The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo ($10)
Amp up the shine: My mamá always use to slather on a mayonnaise mask to my strands whenever they started looking dull and dry. I used to dread the smell, but always loved the way it left my long hair super soft and shiny! She used to make her own homemade mayonnaise by simply whisking some olive oil with two eggs. But feel free to use any mayonnaise of your choice. Massage the mayo into your hair and cover it with a shower cap, leaving it on for at least 30 minutes. Rinse well and shampoo and style as usual.
Quicker Fix: Try The Original Hair Mayonnaise Treatment ($9)
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Avoid green hair__: Whether it's cold or not, we all know that swimming is a great way to help you stay in physical shape. But if you color treat your tresses, you're probably worried that the chlorine exposure will turn your hair green. Don't stress! Instead work a tomato juice into your strands and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The light acidic nature of the tomatoes in the juice will work to gently strip the chlorine and green color from your strands. Then rinse and shampoo as usual.
Quicker Fix: Try UltraSwim Chlorine Remover Shampoo ($5)
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Get rid of excess oil__: Most dry shampoos are made with baking soda, oats, cornmeal or cornstarch, which work to temporarily remove dirt and oil from your scalp and hair. Don't have any in the house? Then head over to your pantry and sprinkle one tablespoon of cornmeal or cornstarch onto your scalp. Leave it in for about 10 minutes and then use a flat paddle brush to brush it out. The cornmeal will absorb all the excess oils in your scalp and on your hair, so you can go another day with shampooing!
Quicker Fix: Try Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo ($24)
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Give fine or limp hair bounce__: Did you know that beer is a great way to add some body to your hair? Fermented drinks are full of yeast, which work to volumize and plump up fine, flat tresses. Simply mix half a cup of flat beer with one tablespoon of sunflower or canola oil and apply it to clean, damp hair. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse it out with some cool water. Your hair will be full of body and shine!
Quicker Fix: Try Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout Beer Shampoo ($30)
Images via bunchofpants/flickr, postbear/flickr, Crafty Goat/flickr,mhaithaca/flickr, Thinkstock
